Terminal connector



Nov. 22, 1955 R. w. LELAND 2,724,813

TERMINAL CONNECTOR Filed Aug. 5. 1953 zz 2/ x4 5g Z9 if Jzj 7.

INVENTOR. E0552 T W L EL AND ATTORNEY United States Patent TERMINAL CONNECTOR Robert W. Leland, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application August 5, 1953, Serial No. 372,418

4 Claims. (Cl. 339-194) This invention relates to a terminal connector, and particularly to a multiple terminal connector adapted for gang connection of a plurality of individual wire connections with a corresponding number of post connectors.

An object of the invention is to provide a terminal connector that is inexpensive in manufacture and which can be locked to a carrying plate for placement of the connector in engagement with the terminal post.

Another object of the invention is to provide a multiple or gang terminal connector having a plurality of individual connector elements each of which is secured to a common carrier plate for simultaneous gang connection of the plurality of connectors with a corresponding number of terminal posts.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a method for manufacturing and assembling a plurality of individual terminal connectors onto a carrier plate whereby to form a gang connector.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention" is clearly shown.

Figure 1 is a plan viewof a multiple or gang terminal connector constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view taken along line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the carrier plate to which the terminal connectors are attached.

Figure 4 is a plan view of a terminal connector prior to installation on the plate of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is an elevational view of the terminal connector of Figure 4 as taken from the opposite side thereof.

Figure 6 is a schematic view illustrating the method of assembly of the terminal connectors on the carrier plate.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a modified form of carrier plate for the terminal connectors.

Figure 8 is a transverse cross sectional view of a portion of an electric motor illustrating the use of the terminal connector of this invention.

The individual terminal connectors of this invention are illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. Each of the connectors comprises a ribbon-like shank portion 1-!) that has the enlarged heads 11 and 12 at opposite ends thereof. The enlarged head 11 comprises a hollow tubular member, as illustrated in Figure 2, that forms a post connector for attachment to a terminal post. The enlarged head 12 comprises a pair of bands 12a and 12b that encircle a connector wire 13 for attachment thereof to the terminal connector 15.

The enlarged heads 11 and 12 both project from the same side of the ribbon-like shank 10, as illustrated in Figure 2.

The connectors 15 are adapted to be placed into a carrier plate 20. The plate comprises a sheet of electrical insulating material having a central opening 21 that extends through the plate. Slots 22, 23, and 24 radiate from the central opening 21 toward the edge periphery of the plate 20. Each of these slots is adapted to receive a terminal connector 15 in a manner hereinafter described.

The edge periphery 25 of the plate 20 has the edge slots 26, 27 and 28 formed therein that extend inwardly from the edge periphery of the plate 20 toward the respective radiating slots 22, 23 and 24 respectively, thus providing plate portions 29, 30 and 31 respectively .between the respective cooperating pairs of slots.

As illustrated in Figures 2 and 6 a terminal connector 15 is inserted through the opening 21 in the plate 20 normal to the plate. The terminal connector can then be moved into either of the radiating slots 22, 23 or 24, as illustrated by the dot-dash lines of the respective terminal connectors 15a, 15b and 15c respectively inFigure 6.

Assuming the terminal connector 15 will be advanced into radiating slot 23, the shank portion 10 of the terminal connector will be, placed against the forward edge 23a of the slot 23, as shown by the position of the shank 10b. This places the enlarged head or post connector 11b beneath the plate portion 30 of the plate 20 whereby the terminal connector 15b cannot be moved normal to the plate 20. This position of the enlarged head 11 is more clearly illustrated in Figure 2.

With the terminal connector in the terminal connector position 15b, as shown in Figure ,6, the shank portion 10 of the connector is then bent at right angles to the enlarged head 11 whereby to place the shank portion 10 upon the face of the plate portion 30, as shown in Figure 2 when the shank portion 10 is thus bent, as shown in Figure 2, the enlarged head portion 12 will be positioned in the edge slot 27 in the plate 20 with the collar 12a of the enlarged head substantially engaging the forward edge 27a of the plate portion 30 between the slots 23 and 27. This locks the terminal connector in position on the plate 20.

In Figures 3 and 6 it will be noted that the slots 22 and 24 are of narrower width than the slot 23. This is for the reason that the terminal connector 151;, see Figure 6, is placed with the Wide portion of the shank 10 in the slot 23 Whereas the terminal connectors 15a and are placed with the narrow portion of the shank 10, that is the thickness of the shank, in the respective slots 22 and 24.

In each instance however, each of the terminal con- I nectors 15a, 15b and 150 are assembled between the cooperating slots 2226, 23-27, and 24-28 in exactly the same manner as hereinbefore described. With the arrangement of the device as illustrated in Figures 1-6, the three terminal connectors 15a, 15b and 15c all leave the plate 20 from substantially the same side thereof.

in Figure 8 there is illustrated the use of the multiple or gang terminal connector, identified by the numeral 40, in an electric motor for connecting the leads from the windings of the motor to a connector plug 41 that is provided with terminal posts 42 with which the terminal connectors 15a, 15b, and 150 cooperate. The arrangement is such that gang connection of the terminal connectors can be made with the several terminal posts 42 on the plug 41.

In Figure 7 there is illustrated a slightly modified arrangement of carrier plate 50. This carrier plate 50 has a central opening 51 from which there extends the radiating slots 52, 53, and 54. The periphery 55 of the plate 50 is provided with slots 56, 57 and 58 that extend inwardly from the edge periphery toward the respective slots 52, 53, and 54. Thus the plate 50 is comparable to the structure of the plate 20 heretofore described.

The plate 50 is adapted to receive a plurality of the terminal connectors 15 that are assembled onto the plate between the respective cooperating slots 5256, 53-57,

3. and 54-58 in exactly the same manner as heretofore described with reference to the placing of the terminal connector 15b on the plate 20 and between the cooperating slots 23"27 thereof. 7 V p p While the form of embodiment of the inventionasherein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is' to be understood that other forms might be adoptedas may come within the scope of the claims whichfollow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A terminal connector comprising, a plate member having an opening therein with a slot'radiating from the opening, said plate also having a slot extending in'wardly toward said radiating slot from the edge peripher of the plate, and a terminal connector having'ia shankpor'tion engaging one face of theplate between'said' slots and the outermost wall of said radiating slot, said shank portion having an enlarged head portion oii one end thereof en'- gaging the face of said plate on-the side thereof opposite to the engagement by said shank portion and having a second enlarged head portion on the opposite end thereof extending into said edge slot thereby retaining the portion of the plate between said'slots enclosed by said shank portion and said heads to lock said terminal connector to said plate.

2. A multiple terminal connector comprising, a plate member having an opening thereinand a plnrality of slots radiating from the opening'toward the periphery of the plate, said plate also having a"plurality of edge slots each extending inwardly from the edge periphery of the plate and aligned with one of said radiating slots, and a plurality of terminal connectors on said plate each extending between aligned slots and locked inposition on said plate, each of said terminal connectors comprising a shank portion having an enlarged head portion on each end thereof, said enlarged head portion projecting from the same side of the shank portion, said terminal connectors each being positioned on said plate with the shank portion engaging the plate between said slotsand a head portion at one end thereof engaging the face'of the'plate opposite to that engaged by said shank portion and with the head portion at the opposite end of the shank extending into said edge slot whereby to lock the terminal connector on said plate.

3. A multiple terminal connector comprising, a plate member having an opening therein and a plurality of slots radiating from the opening toward the periphery of the plate, said plate also having a plurality of edge slots each extending inwardly from the edge periphery of the plate and aligned with one of said radiating" slots, and a plurality of terminal connectors on said plate each extending between aligned slots and locked in position on said plate, each of said terminal connectors comprising a shank portion having an enlarged head portion on each end thereof, said enlarged head portions projecting from the same side of the shank portion, said terminal connectors each being positioned on said plate with the shank portion engaging the plate between said slots and a head portion at one end thereof engagingthe' face of the plate opposite to that engaged by said shank portion and extending substantially normal to the face of the plate engaged thereby and with the head portion at the opposite end of the shank extendinginto said edge slot with the head portion beingdispo'sed substantially in the plane of the plate whereby to lock the terminal connector on said plate.

4. A multiple terminal connector comprising, a plate member having the central opening therein and a plurality of slots radiatiiig from the opening toward the edge periphery of the plate; said plate also having a plurali'ty of edge slots"exteiidinginwardly from the edge periphery of the plate toward the radiating" slots and aligned respectively with the said radiating slots, and a terminal connector having a ribbon-like shank portion provided with a hollowp'ost connection on one end thereof and an enlarged head forming a wire connection at the opposite end thereof, said'post" connection and Wire con nection extending from the same side of the ribbon-like shank portion, a terminal connector being" positioned between cooperating aligne'dslots in said plate with the said shank portion engaging one meant the plate between said slots and with the post connection engaging the opposite face of said plate' and extending substantially normal therefrom and with said head portion positioned in the edge slot and disposedsubst'antially' in the plane of said plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 21,547 Bessex Sept. 3, 1940 2,063,731 Franklin Dec. 8, ,1936 2,128,132 Frederick Aug. 23, 1938 2,262,802 Hayden Nov. 18, 1941 2,571,054 Newman Oct. 9, 1951 2,630,935 Gookin Mar. 10, 1953 2,632,832 Bush et a1. Mar. 24, 1953 FOREIG'N'PATENTS 602,430 Germany Sept. 10, 1934 

